Shalom

I have longed for thy salvation, O L-RD; and thy Torah is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments. Psalm 119:174-176

The survey asked women about their experiences of physical, sexual
and psychological violence, including domestic violence. Questions were
also asked about incidents of stalking, sexual harassment, and the role
played by new technologies in women’s experiences of abuse. In addition,
the survey asked about respondents’ experiences of violence in
childhood.Drawing on the survey responses, some of the key findings show that:

33% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15. That corresponds to 62 million women.

22% have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner.

5% of all women have been raped. Almost one in 10
women who have experienced sexual violence by a non-partner, indicate
that more than one perpetrator was involved in the most serious
incident.

43% have experienced some form of psychological violence
by either a current or a previous partner, such as public humiliation;
forbidding a woman to leave the house or locking her up; forcing her to
watch pornography; and threats of violence.

33% have childhood experiences of physical or sexual violence at the hands of an adult. 12% had childhood experiences of sexual violence, of which half were from men they did not know. These forms of abuse typically involve an adult exposing their genitals or touching the child’s genitals or breasts.

18% of women have experienced stalking since the
age of 15 and 5% in the 12 months prior to the interview. This
corresponds to 9 million women. 21% of women who have experienced
stalking said that it lasted for over 2 years.

11% of women have experienced inappropriate advances on social
websites or have been subjected to sexually explicit emails or text
(SMS) messages. 20% of young women (18-29) have been victims of such cyberharassment.

55% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment. 32% of all victims of sexual harassment said the perpetrator was a boss, colleague or customer.

The emotional and psychological consequences of physical and sexual
violence "can be long-lasting and deep-seated," the survey said.
Over a fifth of the victims of sexual violence suffered from panic
attacks, over a third became depressed and 43 percent spoke of
difficulty in subsequent relationships as a result.
There are sizable differences when the survey's findings are broken
up by country, although the report said higher levels of gender equality
could lead to more disclosure of violence in some countries.Al Jazeera America - One-third of EU women suffered physical or sexual assault, report says

When the data was broken down by country, the findings showed that
Denmark and Finland were among the countries with higher rates of women
indicating they had experienced physical and/or sexual abuse (52 and 47
percent respectively). Women in Poland reported the lowest levels of
abuse. The report authors suggested this might be because increased
gender equality could lead to more disclosures of violence.TIME: Study: One Third Of E.U. Women Suffer Abuse

The report also found that 55 percent of women had experienced some
form of sexual harassment, 18 percent had been stalked and 11 percent
had experienced inappropriate advances on social web sites or had been
subjected to sexually explicit e-mails or texts. Among women between 18
and 29, 20 percent said they had been victims of such
“cyber-harassment.”France24: A third of women in EU have suffered 'sexual violence'

The
former member cannot be named, but the tale of his experiences living
with Lev Tahor between 2009 and 2011 can be now be made public. They
helped convince the Quebec family court judge to rule that 14 children
from the community should be taken into foster care. Lev Tahor: Former member’s testimony into sect is released

Jewish
agencies in Montreal are ready to place 13 Lev Tahor children in
appropriate temporary homes after an Ontario court ruling ordered them
back to Quebec and into foster care, a Jewish community representative
says. Jewish agencies ready to foster Lev Tahor kids

Brudzewsky
has also been in regular contact with the Sûreté du Québec, who are
conducting a separate investigation. Details of that investigation are
expected to be released Friday. That probe may also be the reason
Brudzewsky sent a mysterious email Sunday to the Star and other media
outlets that have been closely following the case.

“I
am sorry to inform you that I must immediately cease contact with all
media for an unknown period, possibly indefinitely. Rest assured that
this is not done because of fault on the media’s sides, but because of
reasons that are beyond my control and that I cannot reveal,” he wrote.Adam Brudzewsky: Lev Tahor whistleblower or paranoiac?

Moscowicz
is worried about the 18-minute video Rabbi Helbrans released on Feb.
14, in which he accuses child-welfare workers, the courts and other
authorities of persecuting Lev Tahor, going so far as to charge that
they are the victims of attempted “genocide.”

Moscowicz
has not seen the video, only heard about it, but said, “We have to
answer that video. We are not fighting with Quebec, and Quebec is not
fighting with us. Youth protection is not against Lev Tahor. They are
trying to help the children, and we have to be thankful.”Foster parent of ex-Lev Tahor kids speaks out

About
40 people passionate about human rights braved freezing cold winds to
wave signs at passing motorists on Grand Avenue West in Chatham Tuesday
afternoon.
Their aim was to draw public attention to the treatment of a Jewish group who recently settled in the area.Jewish group humbled by rally, which included area residents

The
leader of the fringe haredi Orthodox sect Lev Tahor may have used false
evidence to gain refugee status in Canada, a Canadian documentary
reported.

The
members of the controversial Lev Tahor ultra-Orthodox Jewish group who
tried to flee Canada this week would have made a clean break but for the
fact that some showed up late at Pearson International Airport, an
official says.

Immigration
authorities said the sect members were in transit to Guatemala, but
officials in Trinidad and Tobago have prevented the members from flying
to Central America after the authorities allegedly found some
inconsistencies in their responses.Members of Lev Tahor sect flee Canada, intercepted in Trinidad

The disappearance of the two children is the latest twist in the international caper.
Two
fugitive Lev Tahor families — to which the children subject to the
protection belong — were on their way to a “vacation” in Guatemala when
they fled Ontario earlier this week.Two Lev Tahor kids set for foster care now missing, too

The
children are the subject of a court proceeding in Ontario. The judge’s
order to seize them applies to three families within the controversial
Jewish sect, who were prohibited from leaving the country. The judge
directed that the children be placed in the temporary care of
Chatham-Kent Children's Services.

The
ultra-orthodox Jewish group Lev Tahor says members of the sect who left
for Guatemala weren’t fleeing their community. Rather, they were trying
to obtain some relief from what they say is constant harassment by
police and child services.
“Lev Tahor elders say their time here in Chatham has been a nightmare,” member Yakev Weingarten told CTV News.Lev Tahor member says 'peaceful life is almost gone' in community

On
Wednesday evening, Ontario's Superior Court issued an order that the
children be apprehended and returned to Canada, where they will be
placed in the custody of Chatham-Kent Children's Services.

The
Canadian Press obtained an email from a member of the community to
supporters, detailing how two of the families at the centre of the order
left Canada ahead of an appeal. The email indicates they were not eager
to return willingly if the appeal did not go their way, though they had
return tickets for March 13.Lev Tahor members leave Canada before appeal, email reveals

A
Quebec child protection official fears the rest of a runaway Jewish
community is planning to bail from Chatham for Guatemala — and is urging
Ontario to take action to protect the 120 children still living in
Canada.

...Six children are in Guatemala, while six
others, with three adults, have been stopped in Trinidad and Tobago
before they were able to board a connecting flight to Panama, and
ultimately Guatemala. They are still there in immigration limbo...Mass Lev Tahor exodus feared

The
judge ordered child protection officials in Chatham-Kent, Ontario to
use the resources of local, provincial and federal police, and the
Canada Border Services Agency, to locate the children and return them to
Canada to be placed in the temporary care of Chatham-Kent Children’s
Services. The order applies to three families.Canadian judge calls for law enforcement agencies to apprehend Lev Tahor children

Nine
members of a fringe Jewish sect have filed an appeal against a decision
by authorities in Trinidad and Tobago to deny them entry, the country's
attorney general said Friday.The latest challenge will likely delay
any attempt to return the members of Lev Tahor to Canada, where a court
has ordered the children placed in the care of children's aid.Lev Tahor members appealing denial of entry to Trinidad, says country's AG

The
group are currently staying at the Piarco International Hotel, which is
under hea­vy security, while they await a decision on the appeal. The
front door to the hotel has been locked. Persons arriving at the ho­tel
are questioned by security.Attorney General Anand Ram­logan
yesterday confirmed the appeal and expressed confidence the Chief
Immigration Officer would deal with the matter “expeditiously”. Ramlogan
however expressed “extreme concern” a child protection order is
currently being breached in the matter.Jews appeal order: under lockdown

"We're
talking about innocent people, very responsible parents," he said.
"They have no case against them, zero case against them, not in Quebec
and not in Ontario...It has to deal with the fact our community is a
Jewish religious community who is anti-Zionist who do want to be old
fashioned and this create a lot of hate." 12 Lev Tahor kids left Canada: police

Denis
Barabay with the Quebec youth protection agency is trying to spearhead
the initiative after 12 Lev Tahor children and their parents fled the
country. Barabay fears the remaining community members in Chatham-Kent
will leave soon, too.

Allegations
have appeared in a number of media reports that homes in the Lev Tahor
community are filthy and the children are dirty, that children sleep on
urine-soaked mattresses, that they do not have basic math skills, that
corporal punishment is used for discipline, that Melatonin is dispensed
to calm children, that marriages are forced, teenaged girls marry under
the legal age and that children are removed from their families as
punishments. Goldman said the allegations are all false.Quebec authorities threaten to apprehend all Lev Tahor children

I will keep a close eye on this from here out. I'll keep you posted once there's more than a handful of articles out.